House energy committee rejects renewable energy standards -- again

Saying they are more interested in forcing energy diversity through incentives and tax breaks than mandates, the House Energy and Utilities Committee did what it's been doing for the last two years and rejected a renewable fuel standard for the state's electric utilities.

The proposal, by Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, would have required the state's electricity producers to have 5 percent of its fuel be comprised of renewable energy over the next 20 years, double where it is now and lower than dozens of other states. It was also just a fraction of the 20 percent standard recommended by the Public Service Commission and Gov. Charlie Crist.